The advent of computers, interactive electronic communication, the Internet, and other advances in the digital realm of consumer electronics have resulted in a great variety of programming, recording, and viewing options for users who view media content such as television programs. In implementing such options, the set-top box (“STB”) has become an important computing device for accessing media content services and the media content within those services. In addition to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality, STBs also support an increasing number of two-way digital services such as video-on-demand and personal video recording.
An STB is typically connected to a cable or satellite, or generally, a subscriber television system, and includes hardware and software necessary to provide the functionality of the subscriber television system. Conventional STBs include a processor, communication components, and memory and are connected to a television or other display device, such as a personal computer. While many STBs are stand-alone devices that are externally connected to a television, an STB and/or its functionality may be integrated into a television or personal computer or even into an audio device such as a programmable radio, as is well known.
An STB is usually configured to provide users with a large number and variety of media content choices. For example, a user may choose to view or otherwise access a variety of television programs, pay-per-view services, video-on-demand programming, Internet services, and audio programming via an STB.
As mentioned, an STB may also include a personal video recording (“PVR”) application that allows a user to temporarily and/or permanently record selected media content to a storage device. Such recording functionality enables a user to view media content in “trick play,” or non-linear, modes. Trick play modes include, but are not limited to, slow motion, fast motion, reverse play, fast forward play, instant replay, jumping, pausing of live broadcast, and scanning. To facilitate trick play modes, the media content is buffered or stored in a temporary memory buffer, often called a live cache buffer, so that it may be replayed non-linearly.
The ability to buffer live broadcasts has had a significant impact on the broadcast television industry. In the past, the basic business model for broadcast television programming has been free or low cost distribution of media content, subsidized by the insertion of commercials. Commercials also allow media content providers to promote and provide exposure to new television programs and other instances of media content.
However, PVRs allow users to easily skip many of these commercials. As a result, traditional advertisements and promotions for new television programs and other instances of media content are being rendered less and less effective as the number of PVR users increases. Media content providers have therefore been forced to turn to other methods of promoting new instances of media content.
One effective method of promoting new instances of media content is through “word of mouth” among media content consumers. For example, the Internet has spawned social networking websites and chat rooms wherein users often discuss broadcast television programming and other instances of media content. Users often rely on the recommendations of others to discover new instances of media content for viewing. Moreover, because of the recording capabilities of PVRs, some users may even record and then distribute to other users through peer-to-peer networks entire episodes of a particular television program, for example.
The recording and distribution of entire episodes of media content instances is a major concern among media content providers because it may significantly reduce their revenue through advertising, broadcast rights, and syndication. Moreover, it is currently extremely difficult for media content providers to monitor and/or control such distribution, and the expansion of broadcast media content to the Internet and to peer-to-peer file sharing networks has continued. The sharing of media content among consumers, when properly controlled by media content providers, has the potential to spread awareness of programming virally and to increase the number of consumers viewing particular media content instances. However, recording and distribution tools that provide individual viewers with the ability to evangelize their favorite programming with others while at the same time allowing media content providers to control and profit by the shared distribution of media content do not exist.